Gardening for Wellness & Joy: White Strawberries

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Bird flu has arrived in New Zealand, and if you keep backyard chickens, ducks or other poultry, you may be wondering what this actually means for your flock.
In this episode of White Strawberries, we talk about H5N1 bird flu and what backyard poultry keepers need to know. We look at how this strain differs from the bird flu you may have heard about previously, what symptoms to watch for in chickens, ducks and wild birds, and why biosecurity matters even if your birds normally free-range.
We get practical about protecting your flock: keeping wild birds and rodents away from feed, preventing access to potentially contaminated water and droppings, and why simply putting up bird netting may not be enough. We also talk about what to do if you need to temporarily confine free-range chickens, whether chickens can survive H5N1, when veterinary care is important, and what happens if birds have been exposed.
This isn't about panic or pretending we can eliminate every risk. It's about understanding the risks and giving your flock the best chance possible.
🌱 What You'll Discover
What makes H5N1 different from previous bird flu concerns
Signs and symptoms of bird flu in chickens, ducks and wild birds
Practical ways to reduce exposure to wild birds and rodents
Why contaminated water and droppings can be a concern
How to protect free-range chickens
Whether chickens can survive H5N1
When veterinary care may be needed
What happens to exposed chickens
Practical biosecurity steps for backyard poultry keepers
Other Episodes with Sez the Vet on chickens can be found HERE.

Join Grounded – Friends and Family Soft Launch starts August 27 💚🌿
Free Fig Cuttings It costs me $27 to send you three different types, postage, packaging and stripe. But given they're $2 each at the supermarket... I 100% think 3 fig trees are worth it. It's either that, or the prunings are getting composted. I DO. NOT. need more figs 😂 (Say that 100x over Sam)
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

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What if your garden could give you more time, more health, and more connection — instead of becoming another job?
Welcome to White Strawberries: Gardening for Wellness and Joy.
This podcast explores how growing food, flowers, and gardens can support a healthier, more connected life.
Join Sam as she shares what’s working in her own garden and conversations with growers, authors, and gardeners who are creating more resilient, nature-connected ways of living.
Whether you want to grow your own food, create a flower-filled space, grow herbs, or simply reconnect with nature, you’re in the right place.
A garden should support your life — not take it over.
May your garden be abundant and your strawberries white.
Join Grounded – Friends and Family Soft Launch starts August 27 💚🌿
Free Fig Cuttings It costs me $27 to send you three different types, postage, packaging and stripe. But given they're $2 each at the supermarket... I 100% think 3 fig trees are worth it. It's either that, or the prunings are getting composted. I DO. NOT. need more figs 😂 (Say that 100x over Sam)
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment
Asparagus is one of the most boujee perennial crops to put into your S&P 500—(perennial garden investment portfolio) but getting it right starts long before the first harvest.

In this episode of White Strawberries, I walk you through everything you need to know about planting asparagus crowns, preparing the perfect soil, and creating a bed that will produce for decades- and also not doing any of things and giving a go anyway... 👌
 I also share how I'm establishing asparagus in my own food forest.
Whether you're planting your very first crowns or adding asparagus to an established garden, this episode will help you create a productive patch that keeps rewarding you year after year.
🌱 What You'll Discover
 Why most gardeners choose crowns instead of growing from seed 
 How to prepare an asparagus bed that lasts for decades 
 The soil conditions asparagus loves 
 Traditional trench planting versus modern no-dig methods 
 When to harvest—and when to leave your plants alone 
 How many asparagus plants you need to feed your family 

🔗 Resources Mentioned
 Grounded Waitlist
 
🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes Mentioned
 Animal Manure in the Garden
Join Grounded – Friends and Family Soft Launch starts August 27 💚🌿
Free Fig Cuttings It costs me $27 to send you three different types, postage, packaging and stripe. But given they're $2 each at the supermarket... I 100% think 3 fig trees are worth it. It's either that, or the prunings are getting composted. I DO. NOT. need more figs 😂 (Say that 100x over Sam)
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment
What if the best mulch isn't something you buy or wheel around the garden—but something that's already growing?
In this conversation with Kath Irvine, author of The Edible Backyard, we explore the science and practical application of living mulch. Instead of constantly importing straw, compost, or woodchips, Kath explains how diverse, living plants can protect the soil, feed soil biology, reduce weeds, build resilience, and ultimately create a healthier garden with less work.
We discuss why diversity matters, how plant roots feed soil microbes, why chopping plants can be better than pulling them out, and how to introduce living mulch into both vegetable gardens and orchards. We also tackle some of the difficult realities of gardening—including invasive weeds, compost overuse, and when there may not be a perfect solution.
If you're aiming for a low-input, high-output garden that works more like nature, this episode will challenge many of the gardening "rules" we've been taught.
🌱 What You'll Discover
 What living mulch is and how it differs from traditional mulch 
 Why plant diversity creates healthier, more resilient soil 
 How living roots feed soil biology through photosynthesis 
 Practical ways to introduce living mulch into vegetable gardens 
 Creating productive orchards with perennial companion plants 
 Why "chop and drop" often beats pulling weeds 
 The surprising downside of using too much compost 
 Choosing and saving seeds for diverse living mulch mixes 
 Managing difficult weeds without becoming overwhelmed 
 Why observation may be the most important gardening skill of all 
📚 References & Resources Mentioned
The Edible Backyard — Kath Irvine 
Homegrown Fruit — Kath Irvine 
Kath Irvine's website

Referenced
 Dr Christine Jones' work on soil biology and plant diversity

 The Jena Experiment (Germany) — biodiversity and ecosystem resilience

🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes You Might Enjoy
Mulch and Ground Covers | Mastering the Garden
 
Companion Planting: Figs, Grapes, Olives & Companions | Mastering the Garden
 
Run until the 18th of August 2026
Join Grounded – Friends and Family Soft Launch starts August 27 💚🌿
Free Fig Cuttings It costs me $27 to send you three different types, postage, packaging and stripe. But given they're $2 each at the supermarket... I 100% think 3 fig trees are worth it. It's either that, or the prunings are getting composted. I DO. NOT. need more figs 😂 (Say that 100x over Sam)
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment
What does it take to transform a bare paddock into a thriving food forest?
In this episode of White Strawberries, I’m joined by Jo Duff, co-founder of Kahikatea Farm, who shares the lessons she has learned after more than 20 years developing a three-acre food forest in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Jo and her family started with bare land — no water, driveway, or buildings — and slowly designed a productive ecosystem using permaculture principles, observation, and experimentation. 
We discuss passive irrigation using swales, designing for dry climates, growing plants suited to your conditions, and why Jo would plant more densely if she was starting again.
🌱 What You’ll Discover
 How a bare paddock became a three-acre food forest 
 Why observation should come before planting 
 How swales can capture rainfall and support tree growth 
 The importance of planting for function: biomass, fertility, food, medicine and habitat 
 Why food forests are about creating a place to live, not just growing food 
 Lessons Jo would apply if she started again 
Jo also shares some of the plants that have worked well in her Hawke’s Bay climate, including comfrey, prickly pear, tree lucerne, globe artichokes and other multifunctional plants.
🔗 Resources Mentioned
Kahikatea Farm – Food Forest Nursery, Plants & Education

Kahikatea Farm plants mentioned in this episode:
Peaches
Dwarf Peach

Prickly Pear (Opuntia / Nopales)
Thornless Prickly Pear

Comfrey (biomass plant)
Russian Comfrey

Lemon Sorrel

Globe Artichoke (biomass plant)

Cardoon (biomass plant)

Willows (woody biomass)
Examples include Willow ‘Hiwinui’ and Willow ‘Tangoio’

Tree Lucerne / Tagasaste (biomass and nitrogen fixer)

Alder (nitrogen-fixing tree)
Chinese Alder

Yuccas

Buttercup Bush / Senna

Eucalyptus (support species / biomass)

Explore all Kahikatea Farm plants
Certified Organic Nursery – edible, useful and food forest plants

Join Kahikatea Farm for some onsite education. 
Run until the 18th of August 2026
Join Grounded – Friends and Family Soft Launch starts August 27 💚🌿
Free Fig Cuttings It costs me $27 to send you three different types, postage, packaging and stripe. But given they're $2 each at the supermarket... I 100% think 3 fig trees are worth it. It's either that, or the prunings are getting composted. I DO. NOT. need more figs 😂 (Say that 100x over Sam)
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.